


1, 2, 3 Drops

by Mortimer_Dead_Sea



Series: 1, 2, 3, 4 Series [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Implied/Referenced Sex, Loosely Based on Manga Events, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Manga Spoilers, Non-Canonical Character Death, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 22:26:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11678340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mortimer_Dead_Sea/pseuds/Mortimer_Dead_Sea
Summary: "Rain still meant training, unfortunately, and harder training at that. All the trainees groaned when they realized it was pouring out, moods effectively dampened for the day. Nile and Erwin’s moods were sure dampened.But Mike’s wasn’t.----Every time he saw those two, he just had more questions.Why the rain?"Mike loves the rain and now Erwin, Levi, and Nile all love it, too.





	1, 2, 3 Drops

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again with this series.
> 
> I LOVE WRITING WITH THESE FOUR, OK.
> 
> I also have a serious headcanon that Mike loves the rain when he can enjoy it because the scent is so nice and calming. I also headcanon that Mike has a great smile, he just never smiles, like, ever. 
> 
> This was originally just supposed to be Mike, Erwin, and Nile as trainees, but then I thought "how can I make this more upsetting?"

Rain still meant training, unfortunately, and harder training at that. All the trainees groaned when they realized it was pouring out, moods effectively dampened for the day. Nile and Erwin’s moods were sure dampened.

But Mike’s wasn’t. He grinned the biggest grin they had ever seen on him when he saw the gray sky and pouring buckets. They both watched him as if he were inhuman, but he just made his way to training like nothing was wrong at all, like he was excited even.

Everyone was exhausted by the end of it, and most people were sore on top of it, having slipped and fallen on muddy ground numerous times over the course of the day.

Once they were finally inside, everyone essentially refused to leave the sanctuary of either the barracks or the mess hall. Erwin and Nile watched with wide and confused eyes as Mike went to leave again.

“Hey.” He turned, and their breath caught in both their throats. Mike was smiling so wide his eyes were practically closed. His teeth were a bit crooked and yellowed, but his smile was genuine, and happy, and blindingly bright. They both found themselves wishing he smiled like that more often.

“Want to go outside with me?” he asked.

Neither Erwin nor Nile really wanted to go outside again, but if it put that kind of smile on Mike’s face, they were more than willing to oblige.

They followed Mike and they eventually found themselves by a small bench near the stables, mostly shielded by an overhang.

They listened to the rain in silence, Mike’s eyes having slipped shut. Erwin and Nile sat on either side of him, often glancing at Mike or glancing at each other.

Finally Erwin spoke up.

“Mike?” he said softly.

“Hm?” Mike didn’t open his eyes, but his eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

“Why are we out here?”

Then Mike did open his eyes, smile never faltering.

“I love the smell of the rain,” he said softly, softer than he had ever spoken before.

Both Erwin’s and Nile’s hearts jumped in their chests; they were so unused to seeing Mike be this soft. Mike was usually gruff and scruffy, only being soft between the sheets on occasion.

They had never really seen him be truly happy because of something so simple before.

Erwin and Nile both scooted closer and each rested a head on one of Mike’s shoulders, enjoying the sounds and scents around them.

\----

It pelted rain one night, after everyone else had gone to their bedrooms for curfew. It was one of the nights that Levi stole himself from his quarters and his squad to be with Mike and Erwin back at HQ. Hidden under the pretense of business and strategy, they would spend a couple nights together before Levi ultimately had to return to his separate responsibilities.

And that night it pelted rain, hard enough that Levi slowly roused. He stretched, vaguely wondering what time it was. There was shifting next to him, and by the hard exhale, it seemed to have been Mike. Mike sat up, Levi easily making out his outline as he looked out the window. Erwin shifted on his other side, turning his head to see what was going on. Levi could ever so slightly make out the smile on Erwin's face, and then it dawned on Levi, remembering the discovery he had made.

Mike loved the rain.

“Want to go outside?” Erwin asked.

Levi went to look at Erwin, but didn’t when Mike turned instead. Levi’s heart got caught in his throat when he saw the huge grin on Mike’s face as he nodded. Levi stole a glance at Erwin, who was smiling softly and getting out of the bed.

Levi supposed they were going outside.

Normally, Levi hated the rain, but he recalled how much Izzy had loved it. She would always run outside whenever it rained, leaving Levi and Farlan to help her when she inevitably got sick. He hoped Mike wouldn’t get sick as well, although Levi honestly could not picture Mike having a cold. Mike with a stuffy nose sounded like a subtly disturbing dream, not frightening, but just off enough that Levi would rather forget having it.

There was a bench by the stables and the three of them, now dressed enough to be outside, sat under the safety of it’s overhang. Levi couldn’t help but watch Mike; the man smiled just about as much as Levi did, not including his weird smirks. He never thought he’d see the man grin like this. By the look on Erwin’s face, he had seen Mike smile like this before, and it had been awhile since it last happened.

He remembered Mike saying that he used to drag Erwin and Nile out into the rain when they were trainees; he wondered if that was the last time they had been in the rain until now.

Levi wanted to know what had happened with Nile, but decided now wasn’t the time. He figured it might be a sensitive topic, and he didn’t want to upset the two of them, not when they were obviously happy.

So he just shuffled closer to Mike and leaned into his side.

\----

Erwin and Levi sat outside the small house. Without a bench whose overhang could protect them from the downpour, they simply sat right outside the door. Levi’s hand was in Erwin’s, and in his ghost arm, he felt another hand touch his. He sucked in an unsteady breath, one that made Levi shuffle a bit closer.

It wasn’t the same without Mike there.

\----

Nile looked out one of the windows of his house, watching the rain as it pelted the glass and slid down in heavy rivers. Guilt ate at him as memories played through his mind like an old movie. Water filled his vision, but it wasn’t the rain anymore. He blinked and rubbed under his eyes.

“Nile?” He heard Marie’s voice, and his heart ached, crushed under the weight of what he had done. “Are you ok?”

She deserved more than what he had given her. She deserved the truth.

“I have to tell you something,” he said, voice breaking.

\----

Erwin, Levi, and Nile had all went outside when the rain kicked up. The three of them sat in silence, all mourning losses. Nile had told Erwin that his wife and children had died, and under other circumstances, Erwin knew how to treat the situation diplomatically, apologizing, offering his condolences, and allowing the person a few moments before they had to return to the task at hand.

But this was Nile, and so Erwin had wrapped his arm around him, pulling Levi in as well, and they both held onto the man as he finally let himself cry.

It was strange, the three of them sitting out in the rain. It was almost peaceful, and Nile had forgotten what it was like, but there was the crushing absence of why the rain had meant so much to them at all.

The wounds were still fresh, but they found comfort in each other, and the sound of hard drops hitting the stone roads that brought the memory of a huge grin to mind.

\----

Rain still meant work had to get done, unfortunately. All the soldiers groaned when they realized it was pouring out, moods effectively dampened for the day. Eren’s mood was sure dampened.

But he saw Levi and Nile retreating into their room, both of them soaking wet in light clothing. The day had essentially just begun for the soldiers, but it looked like they had been up for a while now. Eren wondered why they wanted to be outside of all places when it was raining this hard.

Upon further inspection, Eren couldn’t tell if it was just the rain but it almost seemed as if the two of them had been crying. Eren could not imagine either of them crying; Levi always had a sour expression on his face, devoid of most emotion aside from an aggravated scowl, and Eren was still reminding himself on a daily basis that Nile was a human being with a side that Eren had never seen before, and heck, that last part went for both of them.

But Nile rubbed Levi’s back as the door closed behind them. Eren made his way down the hall to where he knew he needed to be.

Every time he saw those two, he just had more questions.

Why the rain?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad my headcanon is finally out there. I love that headcanon.


End file.
